Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Peter, I have determined to my mind that there are three factors...high sugar content in the rub,
Long and slow cook times, and Temps over 225 degrees. But I like what MarkinCA says, Adam knows best, lol.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

BBQ is one of those things where everyone eventually develops their own style and technique for this and many other things since we all cook a bit differently and prefer different combinations of ingredients and methods and individual pits work and behave differently.

For me, it can be a garlic paste coating (on lamb for example), or a heavier coating of rub - the rub having some brown sugar in it and no salt, so I can get away with this. That and 230F-240F pit with some smoke and that's about it for me. I hardly ever baste or mop.

Personally, I think Brad, gator and Luke get better looking barks than I do most of the time, so take my advice for what it's worth.

Traegers burn very clean, so you might never see a super dark bark.

Another thing to keep in mind is that these photos might not be representing the color correctly. A lot of the food I take pictures of looks darker on the screen than it actually is (or at least on my monitors - which might or might not be properly calibrated).

BTW - I've had dark crunchy bark that looked great but when you bit into it, it was due to oversmoking or overtemp and was bitter and nasty, so ehhh.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Thanks - I've been doing something similar for some time, I just couldn't tell from the photo.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

:r:r:r

I don't know about best Brad, but I'd probably win the award for longest, technical and most boring answers.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

That is the website and method I used for my first brisket. Winner!

fwiw - I didn't like the puddle when sprinkling Worcestershire so I put some in a spray bottle and it works really well. :2

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Thanks, Adam.
That helps a lot.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Bingo!! Though I have always waited a half hour after putting the meat on to spray it. Always comes out with a thick dark bark. Bourbon and Applejuice is my choice of spray.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

:sleep:;)

So if I have a sprayer bottle Aaron, whats the ratio of bourbon to applejuice that you use?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Mark 1 part Bourbon 2 parts apple juice. Though I usually just pour what I like.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Maple and brown sugar bacon to go on the smoker this morning while I work. A little alder, and maybe some apple.
I may have to take my work out to the deck a bit anyway today with the actual pseudo-spring weather. 65 degrees is very exciting for a Minnesotan in early May.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I didn't fire up the smoker, but I did make some chicken drumsticks on the Weber kettle last night. A few with Plowboy's Yardbird rub and a few with Plowboy's Jerk rub. Added a little cherry wood to the coals for some smokey flavor.

Cooked about 45 minutes indirect with the smoke and then over high heat for a few minutes to crisp up the skin.

I like cooking the drumsticks because from the time I start up the coals until it's time to eat, it's about the perfect amount of time for a cigar and a couple of beers :tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Can't argue with this. Sounds good. :dr

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Pizza on the Traeger tonight. :dance:
Posted via Mobile Device

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

:dr What do you plan on using.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Too bad you live so far away...

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Homemade pizza dough w/tomato sauce, salami, black olive, shredded mozzarella, garlic powder, oregano, basil, red and black pepper.

before:

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...e/IMG_0055.jpg



after:

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...e/IMG_0058.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Hope you made enough to share ;)

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

This brisket is taking forever right now.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Thank you Aaron...

That does look simply delicious Pete:dr Did I mention that looks delicious?:D

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Ahh, but that's what people are LOOKING for, they WANT to have every little detail. You combine FIRE
and expensive meat and people don't like to jump into things blind like that. They want a manual, lol.

Like Adam said, pictures are tough, they are too black, too blue, to this, too that. I need to remember,
while the food is on the grate, to shoot it, cause that's the best place for me. I get inside and there
is FOIL in the photo, and not enough light in the kitchen to balance the outside color temp. It's a
whole thing. Well dammit, I am smoking me up some meatsziz this weekend, I have worked myself up
into a lather now, lol.

And not for nuttin, I think this is the best thread in the entirety of CA.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Nice looking pizza, i havent braved the home made pizza dough yet, i have been buying the premade one at the store, which actually turns out to be really good, i bet not as goods as home made. Is the home made tuff to make?

Not at all. Quite simple, actually. And I usually make 3 or 4 at a time. They freeze well and I pull one and put it in the fridge the night before. When I get home from work, I take it out of the fridge and let it come to room temp and I'm ready to rock and roll.
Posted via Mobile Device

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Smoked up a big batch of Paprika last night. I forgot pics, DOH!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Peter, how'd that Caputo flour work out for you? And how hot can you get your Traeger for doing pizza?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Looking like ribs today. Pregnant wife asked. Need to keep her happy.

The flour was great.
I believe the temp is ~450.
Posted via Mobile Device

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

A very smart man right there!!!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Trying. After 3 you get the hang of it.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Unfortunately I haven't cooked a pizza in months since I found out my blood sugar was wacky. Still trying to research a decent lower carb dough recipe. Not sure how I feel about eggs and cream in my dough, but I've found a number that call for those.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Well no ribs this weekend....boss came up to me today and said, "hey, I volunteered you to shoot my 50th
class reunion weekend." So that's two days of fun there, weekend shot, no re-charge for the week to come.
It goes without saying I won't be getting laid, I mean, that never happens anyway. But you know, maybe this
was gonna be the weekend. Ah, I guess that's all part of doing almost nothing 5 days a week and getting paid
to be there. One day, you pay.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Haha, RIBS ARE BACK ON, baby! I was charging all the batteries and the boss says, What are you up to?
I told him and he says, well that reunion ain't til JUNE. I have never had more than 2 days notice for any
out of town trip, so needless to say I think HE just found out it wasn't til June, lol, but regardless, I get to
cook this weekend in the GORGEOUS COOL WEATHER. Well unless it gets hot, of course. It better not.

I am going to cook spares for the first time in a year. I hope I don't retch, lol. I am so spoiled by the BBRs.
NO squirrel this weekend, though. Maybe some chicken wings, legs or sumpin. Of course now I get to dread
a weekend of following the boss around with a camera for a month. It was gonna be like pulling off a bandaid,
now it's major surgery.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

My last attempt didn't turn out as well as I hoped. I seasoned with Plowboys jerk on my pork and bovine bold on the beef. For wood, I smoked with apple, hickory, and oak. I think that I have officially experienced "too much smoke". I didn't feel like I put that much on it.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

how do you make it if you dont mine sharing, as long as its not like an old family reciepe of something...LOL thanks

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Awesome.

That's one of the shortfalls of my smoker that miss the most. Doesn't do pizza well and they have to be very small.

I'll post something in the Recipe sub-forum this evening. When it comes to cooking, I have no secrets.
Posted via Mobile Device

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

So....

...nah, too easy.

:D

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Is there a "smoking for dummies" on how to get enough smoke but not too much? I had success the first 2 attempts but the last time was a bit much IMO.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Dan, you got Publix in your area? Most of the Publix bakeries carry pizza dough if you ask them.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Ive used a bread machine to make some pretty tasty pizza dough.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

A few questions on your setup will help.

1. What charcoal and wood combo are you using?

2. How long are you waiting before you put on the meat?

3. How long are you smoking the meat for?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Did something a little different with the ribeyes tonight. At least it was different for me.
I usually just sear my steaks on the grill then turn the temp down and finish cooking over indirect heat....just like everyone was taught. Might add a little dry rub once in awhile.
Well tonight I did two things a little different, just goofing around if you will.

I took the ribeyes and put them in the smoker for about 10 mins at 170 degrees with heavy hickory smoke. Took them out put them in a thick wet marinade of brown sugar, teriyaki, orange juice and worcestershire sauce for 30 min. Then put them on a white hot grill around 550 degrees for 3 min a side.
These things were great....LOL. I don't know how but man what a steak. Loads of flavor, juicy with a nice bark all around the edges.
What makes me mad is I'll never be able to get it to turn out the same again!!!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Sounds really good Jerry. How was the smoke flavor? Did it have enough with only 10 mins in the smoker?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

That sounds beautiful, Jerry.
It is bachelor night here, so I don't know what I am going to do, but it will most certainly involve a large chunk of protien.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I used hickory saw dust in my smoker to get a lot of smoke. 10 min worked pretty good. I didn't want to actually cook the meat in the smoker so i pulled it out quick. May leave it longer at lower temp next time, but I use a gas smoker and it's hard to get those low temps.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Patrick (pfm721) finished law school this week and has been wanting to do a brisket cook before he moved away. We decided this would be the weekend.

He shows up Friday night with six full packer briskets. Figured he would get the meat ready for his party next weekend. We had a great time cooking and the briskets turned out GREAT!!! I wish I had thought of taking pics. The huge pan of burnt ends was a thing of beauty:noon

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I noticed that Sams had cryopacks of Beef Tongue in their case when I visited last week. Around here, not such a common thing to see, and I think most "butchers" around here would look at you like you had 3 eyes in this White Bread, Mushroom Soup Hotdish, mac-n-cheese region if you asked for them to special order a couple.
It's a good thing, and I hope to get a couple to do something creative and delicious before they stop carrying them because nobody is buying.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I'd be interested to hear how your prepare them Pete. There's a local Mexican grocery I go to occasionally that carries fresh beef tongue. I'd had it in tacos before and thought it was pretty good.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I tried beef tongue 20+ years ago when my grandmother made it. I don't recall the flavor being bad, but I just didn't like the texture.